Thursday, October 09, 2008

It's been interesting to watch and read all the mixed e-reader opinions out there. There was
something on The One Show on TV, reluctant author meets advocate of e reader
at Hay Lit Fest and is persuaded to sample. Returns to programme to
bemoan all aspects, Bryn Terfel happens to be sharing sofa (well mostly
occupying sofa actually, he's a big lad) and is thrust into the
argument, results inconclusive because Bryn loves his iPod and thinks
this may be the bookish equivalent.iPods haven't stopped us going to
hear Bryn sing (well only me because I'm not a Bryn fan, nice chap all
the same ) and of course e-readers won't stop the publication and sale of
books in its tracks, it's just another tool to add to any reader's
kitbag. Bit like bloggers add something to the world of litcrit,
there's room for everyone and everything and I am no luddite about
progress, the e-reader is progress.The Tinker has taken to his in a nano-second, installed everything far quicker than I did because he's methodical and reads the instructions in the right order and is now enjoying some Kipling.

Now being a technomuddler I couldn't possibly predict what happens
next, but I guess the technology will improve, probably add in a bit of
wireless gizmology, the cost will come down eventually and then I read this and realise that actually it's moving at the speed of light already, the PRS 700 is on its way.

In terms of
transferable skills (my buzzword of the moment) I suspect these will be enormous, our children
would have loved it, would probably have encouraged reluctant reading
sons no end and I can see it would have its uses for studying. Yes I
agree, you can't underline or jot on it but you can't do that to
library books either. Glossing quickly over all the awkward copyright
issues imagine being a distance learning student and being able to
download specific books from an academic library onto an e-reader? It
has a bookmark facility so pages are easily retrievable.

Meanwhile expect the dovegreye-reader to feature on here
occasionally because I will continue to use it and
theme-clothe it appropriately and whatever you do, don't miss Bookseller Crow's budget version, a sort of 'Pony in his pocket', actually I think he's suffering the early symptoms of e-reader envy.

In fact, hopefully not any time soon but be sure to bury me with mine, fully charged of course, in case I get
'there' and I'm bored and perchance there are no books.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Right, jolly good, I've got the hang of this now and the e-reader is becoming part of the furniture.Part of the furniture as in Ifind myself picking it up willingly and instinctively much as I would a 'real' book. I've had a wander around other opinions, Scott Pack is really putting the e-reader through its paces, John Sutherland seems generally optimistic, Mark Thwaite has his doubts and Sam Leith's been testing his in, well in a
cupboard. I don't do a lot of reading in a cupboard so I decided I could more usefully (for me) do a test-run in the Tesco's coffee shop (more of Sons and Lovers).Sometimes I can find my reading concentration in busy places like this shot to pieces by someone else's conversation about Auntie Vi going off her legs, (and then wishing I was in a cupboard) so this would be an ultimate test of immersibility in the text. No book in my hand, no pages to flick back and forth through my fingers, no cover to look at, no scribbling, just a screen, heavens would the e-reader hold my attention at all?

Strangely enough it did and somehow that has surprised me, the world could have been a million miles away as far as D.H.Lawrence and I were concerned. I never did get to hear whether Vi got back on her legs, in fact I was so comfortably immersed I almost forgot to go shopping. I can also report good results in the very comfortable Moorish Cafe in
Ashburton and to a backdrop of loudly conversational grown-ups who seemed to have forgotten they had toddlers with them.

I'm having no problem with reading the non-backlit anti-reflective screen either, even in the evening when my eyes can get scratchy and tired and I usually have a spotlight focused on my page, this feels like easy-on-the-eyes reading. In contrast I did all the last Long Barn Books short novel competition reading on my laptop and had to have eyedrops to hand to get through, this is nothing like.

In fact I'm not doing very well at being critical so far because I can't even go along with the moans and groans about the page-turning mechanism because I have hardly noticed that. It's a bit like a tumble-turn in a swimming pool (well I can't do one but am assuming), just don't wait until you've touched the wall before deciding to do that roly-poly thing.You know the end of the page is approaching so you time the flick (which turns the page momentarily into a negative image) as you scan the last few words, but just before you get there. Sorry told you this might be muddletechnology and the page turn is so momentary you can have no idea how long it took me to catch it on camera for you.It's gone in a nano-second.I've had to slightly amend my reading process in that I can't marginalia-ise the text so a notebook is essential alongside for me, and my next upgrade on the
prototype e-reader jacket will have pockets and pen holder incorporated somehow somewhere.Huw is calling it e-reader bling so I'm really up for that one, watch this space.

It was an odds-on certainty that I would warm favourably to the e reader because I do
like a bit of technology. Of course it will never replace the books in my life, how could it? But it will replace the books I lug around with me constantly and wearily and there is something very nice about switching it on and hey presto, there's my reading.

And well I'll go to the foot of our stairs, The Tinker (father of dgr, 83) took one look at it and
immediately ordered himself one. He couldn't think of anything better
for reading in bed and when he's travelling. Books quite an encumbrance to hold as you sit up reading, especially as you get older (he'll kill me for saying that) and also when you want to travel light, plus
if you don't want your little flat cluttering up to the rafters with books
either, which the Tinker doesn't.

So we are now a two e-reader family, more soon including octogenarian observations no doubt.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

These things go in threes don't they? Bookhound's computer had a fatal exception last week too, his motherboard now deceased so I donated him that lovely new computer of mine and now my desk looks slightly odd with two laptops on the go, one is the weak and feeble machine currently back from France, in Intensive Care and running diagnostics, the other (the Kayaker's spare) seems to be working fine, though I'm not confident.Now if you knew me you'd know this was an utterly ridiculous thing to even attempt, switch on, press F12 as soon as the logo appears and hit Dell diagnostics, then, well then what? The thing just won't boot up so it's currently running through all the permutations of possible reasons for this and so far that has taken an hour or more, but what happens if it discovers why?So far it's worked through caches, timers, system memory and IDE disk tests but worryingly seems to have skipped something called the IDE Disk S/N = MRLB55L4J9OXZC Confidence Test.I won't be able to do a thing about any it I'm sure but never mind, I can't get wound up about these things, it'll sort out I'm sure because it's all going off to a man-who-can tomorrow but there's me thinking I'll manage an e reader and associated technology?
Meantime, while I'm bonding with my Sony e reader and this time I have read the instructions properly, (I never read instructions, I just plunge in impatiently and guess and then get it all wrong) why not find yourself a copy of the latest edition of The Reader?

You'll be able to read Kirsty 'Other Stories' McHugh's great article Freedom to Blog, and then check out my spectacular failure with Rudyard Kipling's Kim in the Reader's Connect section.
I just hated it, clearly wrong time wrong place for me, I couldn't connect with Kipling at all. My heart then sank a few feet further as Sons and Lovers by D.H.Lawrence arrived in the post to be read for the next edition, I haven't read much DHL but have inner prejudices based on heaven knows what that all made me think I'd hate him too.

Wrong wrong and thrice wrong, what a revelation Sons and Lovers is proving to be.
I am in 'absolutely just cannot put it down' mode and the bonus is it's on my e reader too.

I've only just noticed that The Reader have used a quote from dgr scribbles on the back cover and in some esteemed company too, I'm after Doris Lessing who follows Kirsty (with a brilliant quote!) and A.S.Byatt,

'One of the big attractions for me to The Reader was the ethos which I had never actually read in words but had sensed. This is an egalitarian, inclusive, very unpretentious reading magazine; they love books and they want to share the love of reading; every piece intelligently and thoughtfully written but not scarily so.'

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Well, it's arrived, the e reader is here.It's a sleek, svelte, cool-looking little machine and much more about all that to follow.

But are we sleek, svelte and cool-looking here in rural Devon?
Possibly not most of the time.
Immediate modifications were required for this to feel right in my hand, sort of comfy, nice and warm and friendly.
At this point I can see the design team at Sony holding their corporate heads in their hands, perhaps Huw may be fearing for his job? Summoned to a board meeting...WHO SENT HER THAT?With apologies to Sony, but I've just had to get out my sewing machine and give it the 'dovegreyreader' treatment. Some nice Wuthering Heights/ Bronte themed fabric.

I'm thinking of adding ribbon ties and then what do you think, perhaps a nice e reader knitted over 'sock' in Colinette for the notebook and pen as well ?

Constants...

Team Tolstoy

Team TolstoyA year-long shared read of War & Peace through the centenary year of Count Lyev Nikolayevich Tolstoy's death, starting on his birthday, September 9th 2010.
Everyone is welcome to board the troika and read along, meeting here on the 9th of every month to chat in comments about the book.

Team Tolstoy BookmarkDon't know your Bolkonskys from your Rostovs?
An aide memoire that can be niftily printed and laminated into a double-sided bookmark.

Port Eliot Festival

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